What Trump’s Executive Order Could Mean for Childhood Vaccines
The order calls for scaling back childhood vaccine recommendations and splitting up the MMR shot, and pressures states to dilute vaccine requirements.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 10 that seeks to change childhood vaccine recommendations. The directive calls for fewer vaccines and encourages states to reconsider school vaccination requirements. The order also directs the DOJ to sue states that fail to grant religious and medical exemptions for mandated vaccines.
Furthermore, the MMR shot, a combination vaccine used for over 50 years, is to be split into three separate doses. Trump proclaimed the order as setting the gold-standard for U.S. childhood vaccination recommendations. However, both doctors and vaccine scientists have expressed concern over the order, arguing that it lacks scientific backing.
Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, emphasized that there is no new evidence supporting substantial changes to childhood immunization guidance. Yet, the executive order might pressure states to alter their vaccine recommendations and requirements, potentially leading to confusion and a decline in vaccine uptake.
It is important to note that the order cannot legally change vaccine availability for children, as it is not a law but an executive order. Federal vaccine recommendations, including the childhood immunization schedule, are developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), not through executive orders.
Previous attempts by the CDC to revise the schedule in January resulted in a federal judge blocking the changes due to a lack of consultation with ACIP.
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